was quickly dismissed. The advice was to go home, drink lots of water and take paracetamol and to return in a few days if the symptoms persisted.
Unusually for me I followed the doctor’s orders, but the weakness and headache became progressively worse and I developed uncontrollable shivering; and so a visit to the Accident and Emergency department ensued upon which it was decided that I had contracted hepatitis A and should go home, drink lots of water and take paracetamol.
That night my wife became increasingly concerned as I had developed a fever, so a further visit to hospital was undertaken. Upon arrival, it was clear to the doctors that something was seriously wrong and I was admitted immediately and placed on a saline drip.
The next few hours are a bit of a blur but a huge number of blood tests, CT scans and ultrasounds were carried out and initially nothing was diagnosed although the blood tests showed that my liver had extremely elevated readings.
I was given numerous antibiotics and liquid paracetamol over a 24 hour period but the 41 degree fever would not subside to the point that it was clear that my life was at risk.
A series of different medications were administered to me and, after eight days in hospital, I had recovered sufficiently to return home although at that point nothing had been officially diagnosed and
Leptospirosis
the only possible suggestion to fit the symptoms was leptospirosis despite not showing up in blood tests.
After a further three weeks convalescing I was able to return to work and some investigation into what may have caused the illness was undertaken. As it turned out, the vessel in question had been converted to a houseboat some twenty years previously and the bilges were cleaned out but, instead of disposing of the contents properly, the liquid and debris were placed into one of her ballast tanks.
The tank had subsequently corroded form the inside and had deposited its contents into the aft cabin ready for an unsuspecting surveyor to taste it. Obviously, the true contents of the water are unknown, but I can assure you that I no longer undertake taste tests on water and urgently advise that no one else does the same.
In order to prevent anyone suffering the same fate as I did I thought it prudent to highlight the dangers faced when working in or around fresh water, a normal, daily occurrence for many surveyors.
INTRODUCTION TO
LEPTOSPIROSIS
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by certain members of the genus leptospira. Most people who develop a leptospirosis infection only get mild symptoms, but a bit more serious influenza-like symptoms are also quite common. In a minority of infected persons, leptospirosis develops into the dreaded Weill’s disease. Weill’s disease is a serious condition that can involve liver failure, kidney failure, meningitis and sepsis. Weill’s disease can be fatal.
Weill’s disease is caused by leptospira interrogans belonging to the serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae or Pomona. A person who develops Weill’s disease will usually have gone through influenza like symptoms of leptospirosis for a week or so and seemingly be well on their way to recovery. After a short period of no symptoms or only mild symptoms, the person gets very ill with symptoms of poor liver function, poor kidney functions, meningitis and/or sepsis. The lethality for Weill’s disease is 5% – 10%.
The Report • June 2017 • Issue 80 | 65
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